Black Walnut Café

I adore this place. Great food, good prices, good location… what more do you want? I have only visited the one in Rice Village because it is close to me. I have had a lot of different dishes and they have all been great. My favorites are the Three Meat Pasta Laya without the spice (you can request no red peppers, etc.), the Philly Cheesesteak, and Grilled Chicken Breast… but truly everything is good. Also love the Gelato, lots of flavors… all quite delicious. On the Happy Hour menu, always go for the Cheesy Garlic Bread (to die for) and the chicken quesadilla (nice portion for $ 4). There salads are also very good. You truly can’t go wrong dining here. It’s good food, all freshly prepared at an affordable price in an enjoyable atmosphere. They also have a front and side patio for those who like outdoor dining.

Recommended by a local hotel concierge, so we decided to give it a try. Take some time to review the menu, then you walk-​up and place your order. This is not a fast-​food place but not quite a full-​service restaurant. Food was very good, service was decent. I’d definitely come back.

Love this place! I’ve never had a bad meal here despite all of the options on the menu. While it can be a little pricey, it’s still cheaper than comparable meals elsewhere for the amount of food you get. The employees are always so nice, and it’s a good place to come for a relaxing breakfast by yourself, lunch with colleagues, or dinner with friends. This particular visit was a brunch meeting with a couple of my coworkers. We chose a quiet corner so we could knock out some work but left the first few minutes just for uninterrupted eating time.

I ha d a wonderful breakfast at this place around 8:30 this morning. I was greeted by friendly and helpful staff. I placed my order, grabbed my drink and utensils, and before I could stretch my legs using the chair across from me, my buzzer went off to signal me to retrieve my food. I had a simple breakfast of eggs, sausage, home fries, and one pancake. Everything was actually light and delicious. I’ll be back. I am putting it in my breakfast rotation.

Nice place very friendly huge menu great presentation. Not a real smoked salmon and hashbrowns are a kind of cold-​ish. I’ll try ham next time. Good coffee choices.

Great variety and nice casual atmosphere. Easy to find something to meet anyone’s dietary needs and get great food. I had the ASIAN TUNA SALAD
Seared rare ahi tuna, black sesame seeds, green, red and Napa cabbage, carrots, mint, cilantro, snow peas, bean sprouts, peanuts, wasabi aioli, spicy Asian dressing. At $ 15, it what I would expect for the area, Houston’s Rice Village.

I’ve only been to this location once, to meet up with a friend for coffee, but it’s not my favorite location, just because it’s usually hard to find a parking spot at peak hours. I prefer coming for breakfast, as opposed to lunch or dinner, although anytime is good for just chillaxing.

Decent food whether you’re coming for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
So I’ve actually been to Black Walnut before in Austin and like it there as well, it’s a fairly consistent chain so props to them for that.
The inside is neatly decorated and they have a cute patio if the weather is nice outside. My only complaint is that the tables are a little close together so it can feel a little crowded at times especially when the line runs right by the tables.
As for the food, I’ve never not enjoyed what I’ve gotten here. Personally, I prefer their pastas just because I feel like I get more bang for my buck that way but I’ve heard their salads are excellent and I did enjoy the brunch plate I got. They also have fairly decent drip coffee and there are free refills on those so I’m not complaining. This place is a little bit pricier but understandably so (to me at least). They’ve also got Gelato and a ton of different desserts, so it’s a good place to pop on if you’re feeling indecisive or if you just want an excuse to get dessert too.

To the person who questioned out loud my choosing to drink beer at 7 am… i shrug my shoulders.
Happy hour in the morning? Cheap breakfast and booze? Yes please. Takes the some of the sting away from that overnight hospital shift.
Nice comfortable spot to get an omelet and a crisp beer.
I would make this review longer. But the above is all you need to know.

We came here for Sunday brunch and the line was pretty long all the way outside of the door. However, the wait wasn’t too long. You order at the counter and find your own seat. While my husband and sister were in the line, I went to find an empty table and saved it for us. Team work!
Food was delicious! My sister and I were craving eggs benedict and their menu has its own section for eggs benedict! I ordered the salmon one and my sister ordered the cheeseburger one. My husband dislikes runny egg yolk (which I still do not understand), so he went with the bison burger. We were all very pleased with the quality and quantity of the food. They also have variety of condiments and hot sauces for you to grab by the utensils section, so don’t forget to try them! I really liked their mango habanero hot sauce.

Went for a later lunch. Waited in line for about 5 minutes before ordering and waited another 10 minutes for the order to be ready.
I got the breakfast quesadilla without meat. It was decent. I wanted something small but filling. The habanero sauce at black walnut is great though if you’re into spicy!
The cakes look nice and their menu is full of variety. Ambience is casual and friendly. Outdoor seating is pretty. Overall a good experience.

Black Walnut Café is a great place to catch breakfast or brunch, as the menu options are plentiful and sure to please every palate. However, they do offer lunch and dinner, as well.
It’s located in Rice Village so there’s a decent amount of foot traffic coming through, ranging from college students from the nearby university to families to local gym/​fitness folks in search of post-​workout fuel. There’s a decent-​sized patio available for those days when the Houston weather decides to act right. I’m a fan of any place with adequate parking. If you come early enough, you can grab a space in the parking lot right out front or use the garage that’s nearby.
I’ve been here during the week and on a Saturday morning. Both times were around 9:30 a.m., and although there’s plenty of seating, it was starting to fill up. By noon, a line begins to form at the order counter.
I love the walk up and order, then find your own seating concept of places like Black Walnut Café (and Empire Café) because it eliminates the wait time on seating and service. There’s a full bar available where you can order a cocktail with your meal and then grab it at a separate pick-​up counter.
There are so many yummy things on the menu, so it’s hard to pick a favorite. But, I must say the chocolate chip pancakes have left quite an impression on me. The breakfast burrito was decent, as well, but I doubt I’ll order it again. It was actually the size of a taco (makes sense why it’s $ 3). The breakfast enchiladas were also great. If you are into omelettes or eggs benedict, my friends have told me that these items are good here (I’m not a fan so I personally don’t know). Of the cocktails, I enjoyed the Good Morning martini, which consisted of Grey Goose (my fav), freshly-​squeezed grapefruit juice and agave. It was perfectly mixed, but I would omit the agave next time since I actually like the taste of grapefruit juice.
Overall, I would return because I like the atmosphere and the area. Service is fast and friendly. Big hat brunch season is approaching, so I’ll definitely keep this place in mind. :-)

Came here for Saturday brunch since it was recommended by my boyfriend.
I got the Eggs Benedict with a side of roasted potatoes. The Benedict was delicious. Eggs perfectly cooked and the hollandaise sauce was tangy. The house hot sauce was a nice compliment to the dish. The potatoes on the other hand was cold and flavorless.
My bf got the Philly cheese omelet and looked delicious.
The establishment itself is mediocre. These was a horrible smell blasting from the Gelato case. The women’s bathroom smelled horrible.
There are no waitresses or waiters here. You stand in line order your food and they give you a beeper. The whole experience felt rushed for a Saturday afternoon.
Overall good was good but ambience wasnt.

It’s been a few months since I visited this location, but I have been to other BWC’s before and they never really impress me too much. Some friends wanted to try it and I thought maybe my previous visits had been an anomaly and I would like this location.
I ordered the Philly Cheesesteak omelet — and when it came out it was done wrong. They did make the extra effort to correct and then reimbursed me so I basically got a free meal. So while I’m not really a fan of Black Walnut, I will give them that extra star for the effort.
I also have to honestly say I’m not a fan of waiting in line to order and then going to pick my own food up unless I’m at McDonald’s. Even Whataburger brings my breakfast to me!

I love BWC! If my boyfriend and I can’t decide on what to eat we usually come here or to Hungry’s. Last night we came in for dinner and I had the Asian Tuna Salad and my bf had the Darn Good burger.
The salad was based of Napa cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, peanuts and a light wasabi vinaigrette dressing. On top of the salad sat a nice triangle slice of ahi tuna encrusted with black sesame seeds and which had been seared on either side. Initially I thought there was too much salad and not enough tuna but it actually was a perfect ratio and not too heavy for dinner. I would recommend to have a little extra dressing on the side as the salad is tossed and not overly drenched. It would be nice to have some to dip.
The darn good burger had 2 4oz patties I believe and came with cheddar but my bf also added pepper jack. It only came with shredded lettuce no tomato or onion but it didn’t have a pickle spear and a side of fries. The fries were seasoned to perfection and still hot and crunchy. He got a side of cayenne ranch which made a good dipping for the fries. I had a hearty bite of his burger and you can definitely taste the flame broiled flavor. A few other patrons had various burgers and the lady who took our order at the register did tell my bf its also her favorite burger!

Small portions, not terribly diet friendly, slow and over run by med students.
Has gluten free pancakes but not Dairy free, basically no options for someone with a dairy allergy… Coffee and fruit if that’s enough for you.
Nice fans on the ceiling. And the staff is very friendly despite the lacking breakfast menu.

This place was pretty busy the night I came and the wait wasn’t that long. Their service was great.
Food: I had their classic grilled cheese sandwhich with tomato basil soup. Was it the best grilled cheese and tomato basil soup I had. Not really, but it was up there. I still think my mom’s grilled cheese is better and I had better tomato basil soup at Salata’s. I did like the cheese in it.
I also had their Southwestern Hummus with won ton chips. The hummus had a light kick to it and good consistency. The won ton chips were a little greasy, but I’m guessing it can’t be helped. They were crispy and light.
Overall: My experience here was great with the company I’m with. I would come back to try their breakfast, burgers, and pasta.

One star because the food is good but it doesn’t make up for the terrible service, I am currently on crutches and I walked in and waited to order for over 10 minutes while one of the guys was goofing off talking to girls instead of taking our order so I left and came to D’amico’s next door which has extremely good food and awesome service! Also black walnut has messed up my order at least 3 times, I try to go every now and then in hopes that the service will get better but it doesn’t

Food is good, I stick with the classics, chicken salad croissant & grilled chicken sandwich. I only come here for a light perfect lunch, the staff seems unhappy which rubs me the wrong way. Stood at the counter for 5+ minutes, no one spoke to me, and avoided eye contact, when I finally said «hello» I wasn’t greeted with a smile, I was greeted with a «what do you want»… Sucks to have weird unwelcoming vibes here when I actually love the food. A smile goes a long way… Time for me to find a new lunch spot that treats regulars with a welcoming smile instead of dirty looks of me wasting their time. Best wishes. Take care.

This was my first time coming here and not eating. I work nights in the Medical Center, so it’s nice to have a few places for us night shifters to go when we get off and wind down. It’s like happy hour for day shifters! We ordered mimosas and transitioned to beer. They have a pretty decent selection for a restaurant. It’s a nice clean location with plenty of parking in the parking garage if there is nothing available up front. We also ran into a few Texans players having breakfast. Bonus!

If your a rabbit like me you’ll love it! Best Soups & Salads around ! Especially the Zuppa veggie soup. The char grill they put on the veggies before hand makes it worth while. I love the garlic bread they give you with each dish. I soak it up in my broth! The chipotle chicken pasta is superb as well. Literally everything they offer for breakfast is awesome. My favorite go-​to when I’m hungry and in the area.

This is a nice place for a bite to eat. Stopped in for breakfast. I had the «Frenchie» which came with two eggs, one Texas toast piece of French toast, two pieces of bacon and potatoes. The eggs were excellent, as was the pepper bacon. The French toast was very tasty but the potatoes were not that great. Tasted a little burnt.

Went back again today for afternoon coffee. Was going to order afternoon dessert, until I saw a roach crawling around the cake. Needless to say, my appetite disappeared. Gross.
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I have been to this Black Walnut location a few times. Sometimes it’s hard to find parking because of the location. Inside the atmosphere is nice and relaxing and there is a lot of room/​space.
I usually come here for breakfast, but have been here for lunch as well. Their menu selection is pretty good, they have a large variety of food offering. Coffee selection could be better.
Their omelets are good as well as their burgers and pancakes. Their pasta dishes are okay. You get a good amount of food for the price. Service is pretty good and food comes out pretty quickly.

I just moved to Houston, working in medical center. Highly recommended to come here by my coworkers. Last week I ordered the breakfast croissant with eggs made over hard with bacon… received my order 20 min later with VERY runny eggs NO BACON. After a redo and another wait food was delicious.
Today I decided to give it another chance and ordered a mimosa and another croissant. Waited 15 min and my drink order was ready on the bar counter: just the paper slip because there is only one girl making drinks running around like crazy and nobody to supervise who gets what drink soooo someone had taken my drink. Waited some more for that redo. And guess what ?? My order was missing the bacon again although this time eggs were cooked well.
I understand good quality food takes time, but if I get out of a long hard shift and wait so long for my drinks and food I would at least expect my order to be correct (that’s why it took so long in the first place, right?) Had to eat my food cold because I didn’t have time to wait for another redo. If this happens twice in a row, same item than its just poor streamlining process of orders and it seems to be the rule vs the exception.
I give this establishment 3 stars because the food is delicious, it is very clean and cozy, has more than enough tables and a wide variety in its menu BUT having just a handful of employees working in the busiest rush hours is just not appropriate.

Hit or miss in terms of wait time – you may only spend 10 minutes waiting to order or over 30 like I did this morning. When the line is so long I don’t understand only having one cashier taking orders, but having 3 ready to make coffee.
Small tea selection, but it’s of good quality. Food was average, but I knew that coming in. I mostly wanted to drink tea on the patio. Probably won’t return just because the wait isn’t really worth it.
Sidenote: some people need to learn about personal space. Bumping into me once or twice in a line is understandable. More than five and you need to wear a hula hoop until you learn boundaries

Was here with friend for brunch a few times. LOVE this place and the food. I liked everything I tried (egg Benedict, omelet, pancake) so far. And the price is very affordable.
There is always a long line during weekend, and I don’t think there is a time to avoid that… But usually you don’t have to wait for a long time. Nice place and will keep coming back.

We got here around 7:30 PM on a Saturday night; not too long of a wait in line, but 30min, the line was looooong.
I opted for something simple: grilled cheese (american was the only option) and their tomato soup. It turned out to around $ 7.31 w/​tax. My meal came out quickly. There isn’t much to say about the grilled cheese; you can forget it, but the tomato soup was good. It was topped with extra cheese and to my surprise, had tortellini inside (some good 5 – 6 pieces) and those were neatly chewy. A nice keeper.
On our table was a mango-​habanero salsa w/​Black Walnut’s brand on it. Spicy but nice! I added it to my grilled cheese to add some oomph.
Like I said, about 30min into dining, the line gets very long. I was going back to get some dessert – and they do have quite a selection. I went for the Italian Crème cake; about $ 7.00+ for a slice, and they drizzle it with some extra cream; I don’t really know what it is. It took nearly 20min (waiting in line, plus getting my cake) of standing because they got very busy. It seems a little uncoordinated as every employee pretty much does everything. But anyway, the employees were still very courteous.
The cake was delicious, by the way. Properly sweetened (although scraped some of the drizzled cream) and just down right yummy.
Overall experience was good… just gotta try this place in a less busy time.

Although I personally would never choose Black Walnut on my own, I have been about a million times because everyone loves it! The menu is quite extensive and their beer and wine selection is pretty average. I find the food to be good, but not great. The ambience is nice at this location. I love sitting outside and people watching the Rice Village crowd. Parking is great since they will validate your garage ticket. The garage is attached to the restaurant, so it is really handy.

Our first time here, the food was good. Looking forward to trying breakfast. The hubby said the jalapeño chicken pasta dish was delish. Casual atmosphere.
The chicken salad sandwich was thrown together so I felt the presentation was sloppy, a chip option would have been nice.
The service was great. The gentleman who took our order was helpful and happy.
The desserts looked great.

Black Walnut Café is better known for their brunch/​lunch offerings, but they want you to know that their dinner offerings are quite good. Darn good, as one of their burgers are aptly named.
We were looking for dinner at Torchy’s, but since it was already 6:40 and we had the kids, my wife recommended Black Walnut Café instead. I think she was craving the various selections of iced teas too. We walk in and it was not packed yet, so we got settled on our table first. Then I went up and ordered the Darn Good burger, the beef fajita tacos, and a kids’ quesadilla meal.
Turns out the Darn Good burger lives up to its name. This burger has two large patties that was well integrated with mushrooms, chopped up bacon, cheese, lettuce, and cream cheese sauce (light). Even though they cooked both burger patties well done, they were juicy, lightly seasoned, and tasty. My wife was pretty impressed. The optional fresh fruit cup ($ 1 upcharge) was actually worth it too.
The surprise of the night was the North of the Border beef fajita tacos. Since I was still depressed about Torchy’s long line (ok, I’m just exaggerating a bit), I decided to get the tacos. They were reasonably priced and I was in the mood for some beef. Turned out the tacos (3 in all) were really good. The beef was cooked medium marinated well, and tender. Quantity wise, they gave the maximum amount of beef. The tacos came with fresh guacamole on the side, which integrated well with the pico de gallo, grilled onions, cilantro, tomatoes, lettuce, and fresh squeezed lime. I have to say, it was absolutely delicious. The only thing I did not care for was the feta cheese, which was pretty overpowering and detracted from the already rich flavor. We were both surprised at the level and quality, being this known as a brunch place.
The kids’ meal (quesadilla and fries) was so reasonablely priced, at only $ 5, the size being the equivalent of a regular meal. Good thing my two kids split the meal ⁵⁰⁄₅₀. They were quite happy and had no problems with finishing their food. My son even asked if we could come here again after our next trip to the zoo. I did not argue with him, I think this will be our go to place the next few zoo visits!

Black Walnut Café is a decent chain option for brunch with enough vegetarian options to keep things interesting. I visited on a Saturday afternoon in Rice Village with a few friends, and the line was out the door!
I want to call BWC a «quick casual» restaurant because it’s not fast. The line took about 25 minutes, and BWC is the breed of restaurant that hands you some alien technology that uses vibration and flashing lights to tell patrons when their food is ready to be picked up. The service here was really friendly, which was nice because I generally look lost in bustling restaurants.
I ordered the huevos mexicanos and a bowl of tomato basil soup. The huevos mexicanos are listed as spicy on the menu, but they’re really not. The huevos mexicanos is this scrambled egg, cheddar, guac, pico mix with chipotle pavia sauce that you add to tortillas with potatos. Of course, I added copious amounts of Cholula to my meal. I’d say I enjoyed the huevos mexicanos, but don’t let them sit: the sauce starts to look pretty gross when it sits on the eggs. The tomato basil soup was okay. It was kind of peppery, and also had small tortellini in it. If you want to learn a thing oe two about tortellini, watch Netflix’s Chef’s Table Episode 1 about Massimo Bottura.
I’d return if I were looking for a meal with friends on short notice.

This place never disappoints! The only downside is that there is always a wait. Oh and it’s a little pricey. This was my first time visiting the one in rice village. Quick and courteous service and delicious mimosas! If you have some extra money and you’re not in a rush for time stop by for brunch!
On this visit I had the cheeseburger eggs Benedict. This can honestly be split between 2 people and I’m surprised it’s only 8.95. It’s delicious! My eggs were SLIGHTLY over coins so not as much yolk as I would’ve liked, but other than that yummy! I’ve also said their salads which could feed an army. There iced green tea is also amazing as well.

Black walnut is a pretty solid go-​to spot in the village for my friends and me. I’m never too disappointed but I’m also not ever impressed with my meal, just coasting on the line in between.
Perhaps, I’m just not a savvy orderer because I’m not too fond of their dinner menu. Usually I try to go with a salad or a fish entrée to keep it on the somewhat healthier side, but these always seem to lack a little zest or impact. Recently, I tried the blackened salmon caesar salad. This was a bit of a let down because although the salmon was delicious, it was in small supply on my plate, amounting to maybe two or three small chunks? Not even a full fillet. Basically, so little fish was served with my salad that it essentially was just a simple caesar salad pretending to be something grand. Palatable, but not worth the $ 14.
If I were you, I’d stick with the breakfast menu as it is cheaper and more worth your while. The omelettes are always a delight. I like to customize my own and have an english muffin on the side with a spread of jam.

I liked this spot. It’s located in Rice Village Arcade on the corner of University and Morningside. The Unilocal app has it a little further down on the map. But it’s right next the the parking garage entrance.
There is street parking, parking lot in the front of the restaurant, and a parking garage that they validate.
They have a plethora of different types of dishes and they serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I visited for breakfast and ordered the breakfast enchiladas. Fattening dish, but very delicious. There are many healthy dishes on the menu as well.
There are also several deserts that they have as well as gelato.
It’s a pretty cool cozy spot to meet friends or go alone. Check them out!

I have gone to this location many times and today was by far the most disappointing experience yet. I ordered a Cobb salad with a side of ranch. The chicken that was on the salad tastes rubbery, like frozen chicken that is microwaved tastes. The salad itself was not generous for being $ 14 and there was more plate than there was salad (see picture). The ONLY thing that I liked about the salad was the bacon and the ranch. They do ranch right here.
While I was refilling my drink, there was a guy repairing the dessert refrigerator case. I had to take a picture because he was using power tools inside the case against metal and there were still desserts inside. If a metal shaving or something came off of his drill, it could have gone into the desserts which I thought was really unsafe. There were also dirty table rags laying on the ground which I didn’t get a picture of.
Overall, the prices here are absolutely NOT worth the quality or quantity of food you get. I hear the brunch is good, but the rest of the items are overpriced.

Black Walnut café is great place to go for american decent food. They have walk up counter service and can get very busy on the weekends. Parking at rice village is always tricky but they do give you validation for the garage when you dine at Black Walnut.
My favorite dish is the John Mac n Lob. Its lobster mac n cheese — its very cheesy and has chunks of lobsters. Its topped with breadcrumbs and served with a bread stick. I go without the breadcrumbs.
They also offer a variety of pastas. I’ve had the Bank No 19 pasta but with bow tie pasta, instead of the tortellini. I thought it would have been too heavy with the cheese tortellini. The pesto had good flavor and the shrimp were also good.
They offer a lot of desserts, my favorite is the gelato. They have a bunch of different varieties. Their chocolate chip cookie is not too shabby, and the moondog cookie is also delicious!
The rice village outdoor seating makes for a pleasant night in htown.

Das black walnut Café ist eine willkommene Abwechslung zu den ewigen Ketten Restaurants in den USA. Es ist direkt neben einer Gärtnerei gelegen, geschmackvoll eingerichtet und biete eine große Auswahl an Frühstück, Salaten und Sandwiches. Super sind auch die Säfte (Orange Julia — mit O-​Saft und Honig z.B.). Wenn es nicht zu heiß ist, kann man auch wunderhübsch draußen sitzen und in den kleinen Garten und rüber zur Gärtnerei schauen.
Wirklich rundum empfehlenswert!